Power-driven mixing apparatus



Jan. 19, 1965 B. B. CHAPMAN 3,156,303

POWER-DRIVEN MIXING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 9, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

BURTON 8. CHAPMAN Jan. 19, 1965 B. B. CHAPMAN 3,166,303

POWER-DRIVEN MIXING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 9, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

BURTON B. CHAPMAN United. Sta es Patent messes POWER-DRIVEN MIXING APPARATUS Burton B. Chapman, 124 S. Alinansor St,

I AlhambrmCalif; Filed Aug. 9, 1961, Ser; No. 130,399 4 Claims. (Cl. 259-435) Generally speaking, the present invention relatesto the mixing apparatus art and, more particularly, pertains to a novel portable power-driven mixer attachment, per "se, adapted to be attached to a portable driving motor (which, in certain forms, may be a portable electric drill motor). The invention is also directed to the combination of the mixer attachment and the driving motor.

The portable power-driven mixer apparatus of the presentinvention is adapted for use in mixing relatively large volumes of liquids which, in certain cases, may-contain large quantities of solid material of particulate form with the particle sizes ranging from very finely divided plaster, gypsum, or cement, through intermediate particle sizes such as sand, or the like, to relatively large particle sizes,

in certain instances, such as rock or aggregate, although the invention is not specifically so limited.

The liquid carrying the above-mentioned materials may have such a heavy concentration of. them asto comprise a relatively thick, pasty, or very viscous slurry.

The apparatus of the present invention is extremely well adapted for mixing plaster, mortar, cement, or con- 'crete in a container such as a cylindrical barrel or drum, although not specifically so. limited. Furthermore, the

apparatus of the present invention lends itself very well I comprise the driving unit for the mixer attachment, thus making it unnecessary to purchase a special and com pletely, powered concrete mixer, plaster. mixer, or the like, which is a relatively bulky and expensive unit and which is otherwise unusable. r

Thus, it can be readily seen that the apparatus of the present invention is not only money-saving but spacesaving, since the conventionalelectric drill usually presout on a construction job may be employed for attachment to the mixer unit ofthe present invention and the cement, mortar, or the like, to be mixed with a quantity of water, may be placed, in any suitable drum or barrel for mixing just prior to actual use of the mixed cement or mortar.

it wil readily be understood that onefprior art problem which has more orless precluded the use of. a portable mixer driven by a portable electric vdrill is the fact that necessary size of such a unit for mixing. a barrel full of cement and water or mortar and water would require i of the combined weight of the apparatus and would require a very strong man to perform the mixing operation.

However, the novel mixer attachment of the present invention embodies an inventive concept and principle which substantially meets and overcomes theabo've mention-ed problem and makes a-portablc mixing unit of the ty, e referred to above a practical, convenient, and easyinto the container or barrel carrying the medium which is to be mixed; said shaft being provided with blade means inclined upwardly and forwardly in the direction of f0- tation thereof whereby to exert a downward force upon the liquid medium to be mixed during rotation of the blade means by the driving motor means, which has the effect of producing an oppositely and upwardly directed reactive force tending to partly support the weight of the entire mixing unit including the driving motor whereby to make it much easier to handle. working model of the present invention which weighs approximately 40 lbs. when attached to the driving electric drill motor, the operation of said upwardly and forwardly inclined blade means results in producing a reactive upward acting force equal and opposite to about 30 lbs. of the weight of the unit whereby to leave an efiective wei ht to be supported by the operator of only approximately tenlbs. This makes it possible for the operator to move the entire unit up and down in the medium being mixed within the container or barrel without much effort on the operators part and also makes it possible for the operator to mix a number of batches of mortar or cement with minimum fatigue. Furthermore, the arrangement of the blade means, in addition to the partial supporting effect which it produces, also produces a very effective churning and mixing of the medium which. is to be mixed and does so with a minimum of centrifugalforce-caused outward splashing or displacement of the medium being mixed, by reason of the provision of novel vide mixing apparatus of the character referred to above wherein the portable driving motor to which the mixer attachment is adapted to be removably engaged or with which themixer attachment is in combination may comprise a conventional controllably electrically operable portable hand drill including an electric motor and a drill chuck adapted to removably engage the upper end of the longitudinal shaft of the mixer attachment.

It is a further obiect to provide mixing apparatus of the character referred to above, wherein the blade means comprises a plurality of individual blades transversely carried by the longitudinal shaft means at longitudinally spaced locations therealong.

it is a further object to provide novel mixing apparatns of the character referred to in the preceding object wherein each successive one of said blades along the longitudinal shaft means is diflferently angularly rotatably related with respect to the axis of the shaft means than the preceding blade.

It is a further object to provide novel mixing apparatus of the character referred to in the second precedingobject wherein the bottom blade is downwardly and forwardly inclined in the direction of rotation whereby to throw upwardly larger or heavier particles or elements carried in the liquid medium being mixed by the blade it is a further object to provide novel mixing apparatus of the character referred to above wherein the longitudinal shaft has a second or bottom end adapted to rest upon the bottom of a container (such as a cylin- For example, in one drical barrel, or the like, having an open top) adapted to carry the medium which is to be mixed by the blade means. a

It is a further object to provide novel mixing apparatus of the character referred to above which is of relatively simple, cheap, foolproof, easy-to-clean and easy-to-use construction such as to be conducive to widespreaduse thereof. 7

Further objects are implicit in the detailed description which follows hereinafter (which -is' to be considered as exemplary of but not specifically limiting the invention) and said objects will be apparentto persons skilled in the art after a careful study of the detailed description which follows. I

For the purpose of clarifying the nature of the present invention, several exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the hereinbelow-described figures of the accompanying drawings and are described in detail hereinafter.

FIG. 1 is a perspective partly broken-away view of one exemplary embodiment of the mixer attachment means of the present invention prior to engagement with respect to a portable driving motor such as a portable electric hand drill or the like.

FIG, 2 is a view of the mixer attachment of FIG. 1 after engagement with the chuck of a portable electric drill (including an electric motor) and shows the longitudinal shaft and the blade means in downwardly inserted mixing relationship within a hollow cylindrical container (taking the form of a metal drum or barrel). The barrel is shown in vertical section on the center plane thereof, while the attachment of the present invention and the driving electric drill are shown in partially broken-away elevation. a

FIG. 3 is a view of the apparatus of FIG. 2 taken in the direction of the arrows 33.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged View of one of the blade tip means taken in the direction of the arrows 4-4 of,

FIG. 2 and is illustrative of the various other blade tip means, also.

FIG. 5 is a view generally similar to FIG. 2 but illustrates 'a modified form of the invention wherein the bottom blade is of a reverse pitch type adapted to throw upwardly heavy particles or elements such as large gravel or aggregate when the mixture being mixed is concrete containing such large aggregate or gravel.

FIG. 6 is a view taken in the direction of the arrows 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken in the direction of the arrows 77 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is' an elevational View of the tip of the bottom reverse-pitch blade viewed in the direction of the arrows 8-4? of FIG. 7.

Referring to FIGS. 14 for exemplary purposes, one illustrative embodiment of the invention takes a typical exemplary form wherein it comprises a longitudinal shaft, indicated generally at 10, which is normally vertically directed when in mixing use as shown in FIG. 2 and V which has an engaging portion 11, which in the example illustrated. is at the upper end of the shaft 10, adapted to removably engage a chuck or collet such as the one shown at 12 for exemplary purposes and which, in the form illustrated, comprises a typical split chuck of the 'type adapted to be opened and closed by rotating the toothed portion 15' of the collar 13. This structure is means, indicated generally at16, which, in the specific example illustrated, comprises a plurality of individual blades 17, each being substantially transversely carried by the longitudinal shaft means 10 at longitudinally spaced locations therealong in a fixedly attached manner as indicated at 18.

In the specific example illustrated, each successive one of the blades 17 along the longitudinal shaft means 10 is differently angularly rotatively related with respect to the axis of the shaft flhthan the preceding blade 17, although the invention is not specifically so limited in all forms of the invention.

In the specific example illustrated, each of the three blades 17 is inclined upwardly and forwardly in the direction of rotation thereof, as indicated by the arrow 19, whereby to exert a downward force upon a medium 20 which is adapted to be mixed during rotation of the blade means 16 by the motor means 21 driving the chuck 12.

This will produce an oppositely and upwardly directed reactive force on the rotating blades 17 tending to partly neutralize and support the weight of the entire unit. This also effectively forces the medium 20 which may consist of liquid and various particulate, finely divided material such as mortar, cement, or the like, initially placed on top of the water, downwardly so that a churning and very ..with this specific type of container but may be used with various different containers. 7 7

Also in the specific example illustrated, the driving motor means 21 comprises a portion of a portable electric drilldesignated generally 'by the reference numeral 23 and having conventional manually graspable handle means 24 adapted to readily support the entire unit during a mixing operation-particularly in view of the effectively reduced weight of the entire unit produced by the upward reactive force exerted by the medium 20 on the upwardly and forwardly inclined blades 17 as a result of driving rotation of said blades forwardly by the motor 21.

Also, the electric drill 23 is provided with an electric power supply cord 25 and plug means 26 for connection to any suitable electric outlet for energizing the electric motor means 21.

It should be noted that each of the blades 17 is provided with a substantially downwardly directed blade tip means 27 (although the bottom blade may not have them in certain forms of the invention) which act to effectively restrict centrifugal-force-caused outward splashing or displacement of the solid particle-carrying liquid medium Ztl-Which would normally occur as a result of the high-speed rotation of the blade means 16, particularly adjacent the open top 28 of the container 22. This type of splashing out of the open top 28 of the container 22 is virtually entirely prevented by the blade tip means 27.

The shaft 10 has a second or bottom end 29 which is adapted to rest upon the bottom of the container or barrel 22 when the mixing apparatus is fully inserted into the container 22. This will support the apparatus whenever the operator desires to place it in this position. However, this leaves the apparatus completely free to be vertically reciprocated through the medium 20 to facilitate mix-ing whenever the operator so desires.

FIGS. 5-8 illustrate a modified form of the invention I .-which is generally similar to the first form illustrated in well-known in the art and, therefore, will not be described I in detail. 7

The longitudinal shaft 10 is also provided with blade FIGS. 14 and which, therefore, has similar parts designated by similar reference numerals, primed, however. In this modification, the major difference from the first form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-4 is the fact that the bottom blade 17 is of different configuration from the bottom blade 17 of thefirst form of the invention and has a reverse pitch such that the blade is inclined downwardly and forwardly in the direction of rotation of the shaft 10' whcrebyto throw upwardly relatively large or heavy solid particles being mixed in the medium 20, such as the aggregate-particles 30 shown in FIG. comprising a part of the medium 20 being mixed which, in this example, might comprise concrete, or the like. This type of reverse pitch bottom blade is only necessary where relatively large or heavy particles comprise a part of the medium being mixed. 7 I b It should be noted that the engageable portion 11 or 11' of the shaft or 10 may not be round in all forms of the invention but, in certain versions of the invention, may be square, splined, or otherwise keyed for positive locking with respect to adriving motor means. Furthermore, it should be noted that the portable driving motor means is not specifically limited to a portable electric hand drill but may comprise any suitable substantial equivalent thereto.

Furthermore, it should be noted that the number of the blades may be modified, as may the spacing and/ or pitch in accordance with the volume and/ or depth of the material to be mixed and/ or the thickness or consistency of the material to be mixed. These can be so arranged as to provide an optimum load on the motor, while providing maximum mixing efiiciency of the blades in a particular medium to be mixed. Additionally, it should be noted that the blade means may be provided with means for controllably adjusting the pitch thereof in certain forms of the invention, thus making the invention universally adaptable for mixing virtually any consistency of liquid medium or solid-particle-carrying liquid medium, or the like.

It should also be noted that the cross-sectional, plan View, and/ or elevational configuration of the blades and/or the blade tip means may be modified substantially within the basic spirit and/ or scope of the present invention. Also, it should be noted that in certain forms of the invention Where the mixing operation will take place virtually completely laterally confined, the blade tip means may be eliminated, since virtually no splashing is possible under such conditions of operation.

, It should be understood that the figures and the specific description thereof set forth in this application are for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention to the precise and detailed specific structure shown in the figures and specifically described hereinbefore. Rather, the real invention is intended to include substantially equivalent constructions embodying the basic teachings and inventive concept of the present invention.

I claim:

l. Power-driven mixing apparatus comprising a longitudinal shaft means, normally vertically directedwhen in use, having an upper portion adapted to be rotatively driven by a driving motor means, said longitudinal shaft means being provided with projecting blade means including a first portion thereof comprising a plurality of individual blades each being substantially transversely carried by said longitudinal shaft means at longitudinally spaced locations therealong with said individual blades being provided at opposite ends thereof with downwardly and forwardly directed blade tip means for restricting centrifugal force-caused outward splashing of a liquid medium adapted to be mixed by the blade means when rotated within a container, each of said plurality of individual blades comprising said first portion of said blade means, said projecting blade means also including a sec-- end portion comprising a bottomblade substantially transversely carried by the longitudinal shaft means be low said plurality of individual blades comprising said first portion of said blade means and being downwardly and forwardly inclined in the direction of rotation of said longitudinal shaft means andhaving a downwardly and forwardly inclined upper surface whereby to throw up wardly heavy constituents of the liquid medium being mixed by said blade means and to exert an upward force thereupon, the total area of said upwardly and forwardly inclined bottom surfaces of said plurality of individual blades comprising'said first portion of said blade means being substantially greater than the total area of said downwardly and forwardly inclined upper surface of said bottom blade comprising said second portion of said blade means whereby to exert a net differential cessive one of said blades along the longitudinal shaft means is difierently angularly rotatively positioned than the preceding blade.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said longitudinal shaft means has a lower portion adapted to rotatively rest upon the bottom of a container adapted to carry the liquid medium which is to be mixed by the longitudinal shaft means and blade means.

4. A portable power-driven mixer attachment comprising a longitudinal shaft means, normally vertically directed when in use, having an upper engaging end adapted to removably engage a chuck rotatably connected to, and adapted to be driven by, the shaft of a controllably energizlable electric motor of a portable hand-operated electric drill, said longitudinal shaft means being provided with outwardly projecting blade means including a first portion thereof comprising a plurality of individual blades each having substantially transverseiy carried by said longitudinal shaft means at longitudinally spaced locations therealong with each successive one of said blades along the longitudinal shaft means being differently angularly rotatively positioned than the preceding blade relative to the longitudinal axis of rotation of said longitudinal shaft means and extending substantially equal distances-on each side'thereof, said in dividual blades being provided at opposite ends with downwardly and forwardly directed blade tip means for I restricting centrifugal-force-caused outward splashing of a liquid medium adapted to be mixed by the blade means rwhen rotated withina container by said driving electric motor of said electric drill, each of said plurality of individual blades comprising said first portion of said blade means being inclined upwardly and forwardly in the direction of rotation thereof andlhaving an upwardly and forwardly inclined bottom surface whereby to exert a downward force upon a liquid medium to be mixed during rotation of said blade means by said electric motor of said electric drill, said projecting blade means also including a second portion comprising abottom blade substantially transversely carried by the longitudinal shaft means below said plurality of individual blades comprising said first portion of said blade means and being 'downwardly and forwardly inclined in the direction of rotation of said longitudinal shaft means and having a down wardly and forwardly inclined upper surface whereby to throw upwardly heavy constituents of the liquid medium being mixed by said blade means and to exert an upward force thereupon, the total area of said upwardly and for-. wardly inclined bottom surfaces of said plurality of individual blades comprising said first portion of said blade meansbeing substantially greater than the total area of said downwardly and forwardly inclined upper surface of said bottom 'bladecomprising said second portion of said blade means whereby to exert a net differential downward .force upon the liquid medium to be mixed during rotation of said blade means by said driving motor means, and whereby to produce an oppositely and upwardly directed net differential reactivation force tending to neutnalize substantially more than two thirds of the weight of the electric motor of said electric drill, the longitudinal shaft means, and the blade means, and whereby to positively produce vertical circulation of the liquid medium which is to be mixed by reason of said unbalanced vertical forces produced thereon by said first and second portions of said blade means; said longitudinal shaft means having a bottom end adapted to rotatively rest upon the bottom of a container adapted to carry the liquid medium which is to be mixed by the longitudinal shaft means and the blade means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 17,683 Craddock May 27, 1930 227,396 Tregurtha May 11, 1880 1,450,326 Maitland Apr. 3, 1923 1,632,975 Kempter June 21, 1927 2,033,453 Strief Mar. 10, 1936 2,193,686 Craddock Mar. 12, 1940 2,736,537 Nelsson Feb. 28, 1956 2,898,094 ONeill Aug. 4, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 43,476 Poland Sept. 30, 1960 

1. POWER-DRIVEN MIXING APPARATUS COMPRISING A LONGITUDINAL SHAFT MEANS, NORMALLY VERTICALLY DIRECTED WHEN IN USE, HAVING AN UPPER PORTION ADAPTED TO BE ROTATIVELY DRIVEN BY A DRIVING MOTOR MEANS, SAID LONGITUDINAL SHAFT MEANS BEING PROVIDED WITH PROJECTING BLADE MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST PORTION THEREOF COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL BLADES EACH BEING SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY CARRIED BY SAID LONGITUDINAL SHAFT MEANS AT LONGITTUDINALLY SPACED LOCATIONS THEREALONG WITH SAID INDIVIDUAL BLADES BEING PROVIDED AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF WITH DOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLY DIRECTED BLADE TIP MEANS FOR RESATRICTING CENTRIFUGAL-FORCE-CAUSED OUTWARD SPLASHING OF A LIQUID MEDIUM ADAPTED TO BE MIXED BY THE BLADE MEANS WHEN ROTATED WITHIN A CONTAINER, EACH OF SAID PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL BLADES COMPRISING SAID FIRST PORTION OF SAID BLADE MEANS BEING INCLINED UPWARDLY AND FORWARDLY IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION THEREOF AND HAVING AN UPWARDLY AND FORWARDLY INCLINED BOTTOM SURFACE WHEREBY TO EXERT A DOWNWARD FORCE UPON A LIQUID MEIDUM TO BE MIXED DURING ROTATION OF SAID BLADE MEANS BY SAID DRIVING MOTOR MEANS, SAID PROJECTING BLADE MEANS ALSO INCLUDING A SECOND PORTION COMPRISING A BOTTOM BLADE SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY CARRIED BY THE LONGITUDINAL SHAFT MEANS BELOW SAID PLURLAITY OF INDIVIDUAL BLADES COMPRISING SAID FIRST PORTION OF SAID BLADE MEANS AND BEING DOWNWARDLY FORWARDLY INCLINED IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID LONGITUDINAL SHAFT MEANS AND HAVING A DOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLY INCLINED UPPER SURFACE WHEREBY TO THROW UPWARDLY HEAVY CONSTITUTENTS OF THE LIQUID MEDIUM BEING MIXED BY SAID BLADE MEANS AND TO EXERT AN UPWARD FORCE THEREUPON, THE TOTAL AREA OF SAID UPWARDLY AND FORWARDLY INCLINED BOTTOM SURFACES OF SAID PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL BLADES COMPRISING SAID FIRST PORTION OF SAID BLADE MEANS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE TOTAL AREA OF SAID DOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLY INCLINED UPPER SURFACE OF SAID BOTTOM BLADE COMPRISING SAID SECOND PORTION OF SAID BLADE MEANS WHEREBY TO EXERT A NET DIFFERENTIAL DOWNWARD FORCE UPON THE LIQUID MEDIUM TO BE MIXED DURING ROTATION OF SAID BLADE MEANS BY SAID DRIVING MOTOR MEANS AND WHEREBY TO PRODUCE AN OPPOSITELY AND UPWARDLY DIRECTED NET DIFFERENTIAL REACTIVE FORE TENDING TO PARTLY NEURTALIZE THE WEIGHT OF THE DRIVING MOTOR MEANS, THE LONGITUDINAL SHAFT MEANS, AND THE BLADE MEANS, AND WHEREBY TO POSITIVELY PRODUCE VERTICAL CIRCULATION OF THE LIQUID MEDIUM WHICH IS TO BE MIXED BY REASON OF SAID UNBALANCED VERTICAL FORCES PRODUCED THEREON BY SAID FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS OF SAID BLADE MEANS. 